January 19, 2022: Celebrating the start of the Lunar New Year – the Year of the Tiger – watchmaker Arnold & Son has embodied the Water Tiger in an expressive new 8-piece limited-edition version of the Perpetual Moon timepiece, featuring a golden tiger on the prowl.
In the background, a waterfall symbolizes the element that tempers this feline’s ferocious energy. The highly refined and symbolic scene is the result of consummate craftsmanship and the wide range of precious gemstones and materials employed, including hematite mother-of-pearl, aventurine, and rose gold.
On the watch dial, Arnold & Son has allotted ample space for a large moon phase display. A turning disc reveals the waxing and waning of the celestial body, the appearance of the crescent moon, and its light. The moon in low relief has been crafted of mother-of-pearl enhanced and painted with Super-LumiNova.
In daylight, it appears grey, almost white. In the dark, the moon appears lit from within and takes on a new aspect, brimming with gleaming detail. This ethereal effect is echoed by the dial's aquatic details, which have also been hand-painted with luminous pigments. In the background, the disc bearing the star is made from a deep black aventurine glass.
The 18K rose gold tiger has been sculpted in three dimensions. Its expression, pose, and the details of its fur have been painstakingly hand-engraved and -burnished. The bamboo has been painted in gold powder atop a hematite disc, exhibiting infinite glittering inclusions. The “Year of the Tiger” Perpetual Moon is mounted on a glistening black alligator strap backed with red alligator leather and stitched with platinum thread.
Like all the movements used by Arnold & Son, the A&S1512 caliber was entirely developed, produced, decorated, adjusted, assembled, and finished between the walls of the brand's manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. This caliber is based on two barrels with an oscillation frequency of 3 Hz, delivering a 90-hour power reserve. Last but not the least, the moon-phase display of this movement will remain accurate for 122 years before deviating from the actual lunar cycle by a single day.
